1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting head which is capable of ejecting liquid from nozzle openings.
2. Related Art
Ink jet printers (hereinafter, referred to as “printers”) are known examples of liquid ejecting apparatuses which are capable of ejecting liquid from a plurality of nozzles provided in a liquid ejecting head. These printers typically have a maintenance unit for performing a variety of maintenance operations to prevent and resolve any clogging in the nozzles due to thickened ink.
One example of a maintenance currently used in the art is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. JP-A-2003-154672, which describes a maintenance unit having a vacuuming mechanism for vacuuming ink in a recording head, which serves as a liquid ejecting head, and a wiper mechanism for wiping the surface provided with nozzles (hereinafter, a “nozzle-forming surface”). Other maintenance units currently known in the art are equipped with a flushing box which receives ink discharged from nozzle openings in accordance with a driving signal unrelated to printing.
When the variety of maintenance operations performed by the maintenance units do not resolve a clogging in the recording head, the recording head is removed from a printer body to so that a visual inspection of the nozzle-forming surface may be performed. If the defect in the recording head is determined is identified during the visual inspection and subsequently fixed, the recording head is reattached to the printer body. For example, when ink has been deposited near the nozzles, the deposit is removed using a cotton bud soaked with a cleaning liquid. If no resolvable defect is found during the visual inspection of the recording head, the defect is deemed to be located inside the recording head, and the recording head is replaced with a new recording head.
One problem with this process, however, is that removing the recording head to visually inspect the recording head for defects wastes time because reattaching and repositioning the recording head to properly attach the recording head to the printer is time-consuming work.
This situation occurs not only with the ink jet printers as described above, but also with other liquid ejecting apparatuses having a liquid ejecting head for ejecting liquid from nozzle openings.